


Holding your tongue is harder than you might imagine

by Flopidopy



Category: The Worst Witch - All Media Types
Genre: Fluff and Angst, Gen, Mother-Daughter Relationship, Old Friends
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-17
Updated: 2021-02-28
Packaged: 2021-03-15 09:28:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 19,103
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28811190
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Flopidopy/pseuds/Flopidopy
Summary: When Hecate Hardbroom heard the name ‘Hubble’ on selection day, it brought back memories of a distant period of her life and a long-lost non-witching friend which she’d rather forget about. What was the probability of this clumsy child being somewhat related to the Hubble she used to know? Little did Hecate know this girl would turn her world upside down.
Relationships: Hardbroom & Julie Hubble, Hardbroom & Mildred Hubble, Julie Hubble & Mildred Hubble
Comments: 30
Kudos: 72





	1. Selection Day

**Author's Note:**

> I have been toying with the idea of writing something for quite a while now and here is the first chapter of what I hope will be a long story. This story will feature some of the main characters of the TWW 2017 series but I don’t own any of them. You will see that I will sometimes include some of the lines or events from the series, but rest assure that it won’t always be the case and that the story and more importantly the relationship between the different characters will be somewhat different.  
> This is also my first time writing fiction in English so I hope there won’t be too many mistakes.  
> Enjoy! 😊

Everything started when Mildred crash-landed into the pond facing Cackle’s gate with Maud. She was having the time of her life, while Hecate was clearly going through another day in what she would describe as hell: two idiotic students-to-be soaking in the muddy water all the while interfering with the peaceful process of selection day. Everything was usually as regular as clockwork – literally, as Hecate was constantly keeping an eye on the pocket watch that was hanging around her neck. But right now, these disturbances were getting her behind schedule. She looked at the two young girls with dismay and magicked them dry. One of them, the gangly one, clearly looked flabbergasted.

“I am Miss Hardbroom, deputy-headmistress. And you are?”

Maud, who could see her new friend clueless, took action. 

“Maud Spellbody, miss Hardbroom. Well met.”

She put her hand on her forehead and bowed. Miss Hardbroom gave the student a stern look and then magically ticked Maud’s name on her list. She then turned her face to the other girl, who had finally found a way to stop her fit of laughter. Mildred looked at the deputy headmistress, wearing black from head to toe, and awkwardly put her hand to her forehead. She mumbled a shy “well met” which was met with a daunting face from the deputy headmistress, who was now raising her eyebrow.

“And who are you?”

“Mildred. Mildred Hubble.”

Mildred was now looking at Miss Hardbroom but could not decipher what was going on. The deputy Headmistress was once again making a new face. If her eyes could pop out of her skull, they definitely would. The truth was, Hecate had not heard that name for some years now and did not expect to hear it here at Cackle’s of all places.

“Hub-ble. Your name does not appear on my list. Quite an ordinary name for a witch.”

Mildred, who thought she had been exposed when she heard the word ordinary, could not say a word. The chubby girl was now talking instead of the gangly one, making up some sort of story about Miss Hubble being down for Pentangle’s, that wretched school, but then deciding on trying Cackle’s first. Miss Spellbody was making sure to avoid anything related to the ordinariness of the Hubble name. The deputy headmistress seemed doubtful but decided not to judge the girl upon her name. How could this young witch be somewhat related to the Hubble woman she used to know? No, that was clearly too far-fetched a possibility.

“Well, I suppose we should give you a chance to redeem yourself, Mildred Hub-ble. You should get on with the tour with Miss Cackle.”

Miss Hardbroom suddenly raised her hand above the two girls and made a delicate gesture which transported them to the castle. She inhaled deeply.

“Hubble, that is… uncanny”, she said to herself.

Hecate transferred to the staffroom, startling miss Drill in passing. She had just a couple of minutes to gather the entrance exam before joining the potentially newcomers. She clearly had no time to chitchat with Dimity, who still could not get over Hecate’s transferring through the castle. Hecate was meticulously arranging the papers in her hand, something she could have used magic for, obviously, but she needed to stay focused. And to keep her mind away from the name of Hubble. After displaying a wide range of faces to the Hubble girl, she decided she would try her best to keep her stony face while attending to the students. That’s what she did best.

From that moment, everything went from bad to worse. The written exam was a disaster for the Hubble girl. How one could come to an entrance exam so unprepared, Hecate couldn’t say. Scribbling little drawings when your future depended on it. Dawdling while all the other applicants were applying themselves on paper. Thankfully, a new Hallow girl was to enter Cackle’s. She definitely seemed bright and shiny although maybe a little too overly confident. But she was at least something to look forward to.

From there, the Hubble disaster carried on, causing mayhem and being disqualified for the entrance exam and then saving the day after Miss Cackle’s evil sister herself caused mayhem. Hecate had to admit, this Hubble was prone to catastrophes, but she was crafty as a fox and resourceful. But now that Mildred was sheepishly sitting in a chair in front of her, she couldn’t help thinking that things were actually only getting started.

“Mildred Hub-ble, it seems that Miss Cackle took a shine on you and decided to let you attend this academy, after all.”

Mildred couldn’t help the smile on her face. She was now fidgeting and couldn’t hold still. She needed to break the news to Maud. She had made it! She was squirming on the chair and Miss Hardbroom couldn’t hide her discontentment. She obviously had not taken this decision. 

Miss Cackle suddenly made an appearance and took it from there. Miss Hardbroom was standing aside, arms crossed around her chest, lips pursed.

“Mildred, I cannot express how grateful I am. I think we should summon your parent or your guardian” declared the headmistress.

“Ada, are you sure it is the right thing to do?” implored Miss Hardbroom, who was terrified at the idea of Mildred Hubble potentially being somewhat related to the Hubble she once knew. 

“Hecate, dear, you know well that some academies have been accepting students from the ordinary world for quite some time now. Maybe it’s time we followed Pentangle’s lead.”

Hecate rolled her eyes. She hated when Ada called her ‘dear’ in front of students and decided to refrain from arguing any further. Mildred was observing Miss Cackle carefully as she made a hand gesture which transferred her mother to a spot right next to her. A mass of unruly curly blond hair appeared, wearing plastic gloves and holding a toilet brush in one hand.

“Mum” Mildred interpelled her mother.

Miss Hubble looked utterly disoriented and when she finally met Hecate’s face, she was speechless and her eyes seemed distraught. Hecate tried to hide a gasp and then conjured her most unfazed face. That was within her reach. Of course, Hubble was a name that did not belong to any witching family. And of course, it had to be her. She tried to stay calm but she couldn’t help noticing how little Julie had changed. She felt ashamed for a couple of seconds because of how she had ended things. She was not good at goodbye, that was for sure.

_~_

_Being in the non-magical world for the first time and all alone was not how Hecate had imagined her life. That, and the fact that her being pregnant had led her to this very position, in the middle of a rustling city she didn’t know anything about. She had heard tales of this world and she had read all about it – intellectual curiosity, she supposed. But still, she did not wish to be there. Her father had been clear: her magic would be weakened as long as she was pregnant. And that broke her heart into tiny pieces. That was clearly not what she had envisioned for herself. She had a tiny baby growing up in her tummy and she couldn’t help both loving and loathing this idea. But she was all alone, here and there, and that changed everything._

_“You are a shame to this family, Hecate”_

_That was what her father had said before sending her into hiding so that no one would hear of this mysterious pregnancy. She thought she would have been sent to the Highlands, or the far seas. She didn’t think she would be acquainted with the ordinary world without her magic._

_Hecate was standing in the middle of the street, taking in her surroundings. The cars honking, the people chatting. It was all too much and she couldn’t help frowning._

_\- Are you okay, love?_

_A young woman was standing in front of her. She looked quite friendly with her curly blond hair. And she had that sort of twinkle in her eyes which reminded Hecate of… No, she had to stop thinking about that person._

_\- I’m fine. I’m – I’m pregnant._

_\- Well, I’m Julie, nice to meet you!_

_This was the strangest encounter. But this Julie woman was adamant that Hecate should have “a cuppa” with her and so she did. This Julie was a completely non-judgmental human being, and that was a change. She did not ask any of the uneasy questions and she didn’t care about them. She never made fun of Hecate’s complete lack of knowledge when it came to household appliances. Hecate was pretty sure this woman had quickly guessed she had nowhere to go when she offered her to stay for the night. And so she stayed and Julie did not ask any question when one day turned into two and then into a week._

_Julie was a nurse, so she knew a lot about hospitals, and even about pregnancies. So she drove Hecate to be checked up, and didn’t ask any question at all. And gradually, Julie saw that Hecate was perking up. Her apartment was always clean and tidy when she came back from work. She always had a lovely meal ready for her. And this almost lasted 9 months. 9 months during which the two women exchanged about everything and nothing, shared a flat, shared a life._

_Until one day, everything became too much for Hecate. Her belly was getting too big, her thoughts were becoming heavier. And the unexpected letter she received telling her her mother had passed away was the final blow. She could feel her magic bubbling inside her and she started thinking about the life awaiting for her, and the baby which had no place in it. And that is how she ended up in the hospital were Julie Hubble worked as a nurse to give birth to a daughter she would leave to grow up in the non-magical world and never see again._

_~_

“Mildred! I was just cleaning the toilet”

Julie’s face shifted from perturbed to embarrassed. If she had recognized Hecate, she had a pretty damn good poker face. Maybe it was the high bun and the black attire? Her style had drastically changed after she returned to the magic world – she didn’t think it would prove to be helpful to dissimulate her identity though. Julie now faced Miss Cackle and seemed to be averting Hecate’s stare as much as possible. Was she doing that on purpose? Hecate was bubbling inside. Miss Cackle was trying her best to accommodate Julie’s lack of knowledge concerning the witching world.

“Magic is real” Julie Hubble said, hesitantly.

“That is correct” replied Miss Cackle.

If you need more proof, I’ll happily turn you into a pumpkin, Hecate thought.

“So you’re magic and all the teachers are magic and the girls learn … magic” Julie Hubble tried to comprehend what she was being told.

“I see where Mildred get her quick wits, Mistress Hubble” commented Hecate who couldn’t help it.

Julie Hubble frowned. That’s when Hecate realized she should have stayed quiet.

“All right, Mrs I’m-so-Magical. If you’re so much better than me, how about conjuring up some manners.”

Julie now looked Hecate in the eyes and Hecate just knew. She knew that Julie had recognized her and was clearly still holding a grudge against her.

“And it’s Miss Hubble!” Old crow, she wanted to add.

“Did you know Mildred had applied here?” asked Miss Cackle.

Julie now seemed to forget all about Hecate Hardbroom and was looking at her daughter with a tender and loving face. Mildred looked abash and didn’t dare to look back.

“It’s okay Millie-love, I just wish we had talked about it before.”

“You’re not mad at me?”

“Of course not”. She held her daughter in her arms.

Hecate seemed to be disgusted by this display of affection. It’s true she had never been one to hug, Julie reminded herself. Even on the worst day of her pregnancy, she had always kept a distance. One day, Julie remembered, she had been able to put her hand on Hecate’s shoulder as she was sobbing. Hecate seemed to like her privacy at the time.

Julie now looked at Miss Cackle.

“Would it be possible to know a little bit more about the school? I would feel more comfortable if I knew were my Millie would spend her days if she were to attend.”

Miss Cackle smiled at that.

“Well, I am sure that my deputy-headmistress could give you a tour, if that could help you make your mind.”

Hecate froze. Of course, she could decline this offer and pretend she had other things to tend to. But Ada knew very well she didn’t. And Hecate didn’t want to raise any suspicion. So she nodded and said coldly “I you will follow me, please”, to which Julie raised while Mildred went on her way to join the other successful applicants.

Julie walked alongside Hecate through the winding corridors without uttering a single word. Maybe she hadn’t recognized her after all? For a couple of minutes, Hecate felt relieved to know her life would go back to normal. She would maybe have to see Julie once a year for a parent’s evening, but other than that, this ghost of her past wouldn’t make any recurrent apparition in her life. She was suddenly pushed into a room on her left.

“You’re a w- witch!” yelled Julie.

“You’re a mo-ther…” stated Hecate.

“That’s hardly comparable!”

“To a troublesome eleven-year-old who does not belong here” added the reproachful deputy-headmistress.

“Oh, don’t you dare! She is a bright and clever young lady, no-thanks to you!”

“What ‘no-thanks to me’?”

“You don’t get it, do you?”

“Would you please enlighten me as to what nonsense you are talking about?” Hecate was clearly losing her patience.

“Gosh, Hecate! You’ve spent an entire morning with Mildred and you still don’t get it?”

“Please Hubble, stop the dramatics and get on with it” snapped Hecate.

“I’m being dramatic? Coming from the woman who abandoned her baby girl just a couple of hours after giving birth, that’s grand!”

“Is this some kind of blackmail? Are you here to destroy my reputation?”

Hecate did not seem to comprehend what the Hubble woman was telling her.

“Do you need me to spell it out? You said it yourself. Millie is eleven. And eleven years ago, that is exactly the year I met you and _I_ was not the one who was pregnant at the time. I can fill in the blanks if you need me to, but I’m sure you’re smart enough. Anyway, I guess you would have figured it out at some point. She is your spitting image.”

Hecate’s jaw dropped. She thought about the clumsy dark-haired girl she had spent the morning scolding with aversion. She was doing the math and slowly coming to realization with what Julie Hubble was subtly telling her. She recoiled in horror and hid her face between her hands for a second before looking back to Julie, as if it had never happened.

“Couldn’t you just make her leave and go back to an ordinary school?” suggested Hecate.

“And disappoint her? No, I don’t think so.” Julie answered sharply.

Then, I’ll make sure she hates me as much as you do, thought Hecate.

“What do you want from me?” asked Hecate.

“I’m just warning you: you’ve turned my life upside down once and I won’t let you do it again.”

“Relax Mama-Bear”, deadpanned the deputy-headmistress.

“As far as Mildred is aware, I am her mother and I’d rather things stayed this way. More precisely, I forbid you to interfere with her life.”

“At least something we will agree on today”, mumbled Hecate, not daring to look Julie in the eyes.

Julie Hubble had the most marvellous smile and her face radiated warmth and love. But when it came to Mildred’s well-being, she really was a pure mama bear. She had built a life with her daughter and nothing and no one would destroy what she had. Sure, the first weeks had been eventful, and her life had seen some changes. But the months and the years after that? Pure happiness, she would say. 

“So, now that this is settled. This witchy side of yours, is that why you never came back? Do you know how much time I spent looking for you?” 

“I didn’t ask you to look for me.”

“You lived 9 months with me and then disappeared without telling me, leaving a little girl behind in a hospital bedroom. What was I supposed to do?”

“Well, first of all, you were not supposed to adopt the baby I gave birth to. Secondly, she was not supposed to end-up here today. I have moved on, I have responsibilities and I do not have time to dwell upon the past.” 

“So you just gave birth to her, and then magically poofed out of her existence?”

“That’s the gist of it”

“Why did you leave without saying goodbye? I thought we were friends.”

“I guess…”

Hecate had no words to express what was going on in her mind. Had they been friends? Probably, although she did not understand all the intricacies the word “friends” entailed in the ordinary world.

“I guess we were… But there are some things you didn’t know which were and still are none of your business. Now, if you please, we need to get back to Miss Cackle’s office.”

Hecate finally stepped out of the room and straightened her dress. She was now stiff as a broom as she walked back to Miss Cackle’s office. She put on her best poker face and pretended everything was perfectly normal. 

“So, Miss Hubble, have you reached your final decision?” asked Miss Cackle.

Julie cast a shy glance towards Hecate. Could she trust her to keep Mildred’s life as normal as it could be? This was clearly a funny thing to say. How could attending a witching school be normal? Hecate didn’t want to have anything to do with Mildred, not that it surprised her, but at least, it meant that her daughter would remain hers. And that was all that mattered.

“Actually, I had a suggestion” interrupted Hecate in her most Miss Harbroom-like manner. “I would suggest for Mildred Hubble to be accepted on a trial basis, as a precaution”.

Julie glared at Hecate. How could she do that? Miss Cackle looked at here deputy-headmistress, puzzled.

“In case she might not accommodate to the witching world very well” Hecate added.

“That’s actually quite a wise idea”, replied Miss Cackle.

The headmistress was now in the far-end of her office, fetching some papers in different drawers while Hecate and Julie were making faces at each other.

“Why would you sat that?” whispered Julie angrily.

“It’s in her best interest and this way you won’t have to blame yourself when Mildred gets back to an ordinary school”, Hecate whispered back.

“‘When she gets back to an ordinary school’? Are you already planning to expel her?”

“Well, wouldn’t it make your life easier?”

“Yes it would. But do I want to live with my daughter being disappointed for not being enough for your oh-so-prestigious academy? No, I don’t!”

The headmistress turned back and the two other women straightened their posture. She offered a polite smile to Miss Hubble and then gave her a pile of documents.

“Miss Hubble, I was delighted to talk to you. Among these documents, you will find some documentation about the school. I also provided you with a copy of The Witches Code, which Mildred will need to be acquainted with as it rules our lives”.

Julie nodded.

“Then, I guess we will see Mildred when the school starts, won’t we Hecate?”

Hecate offered a clumsy fake half-smile to Ada as she transferred Julie and Mildred Hubble back to their apartment.

“Quite a lovely mother and daughter”, smiled Ada.

“Quite a pair, indeed”, commented Hecate.


	2. First day of term

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for your comments and kudos ! It's actually really nice to get some feedback :)   
> Here is a new chapter for you, enjoy !

Mildred was as full of energy as a bouncing ball. She couldn’t stand still in the living room. Miss Cackle was to transfer her at 9 am sharp. That was the plan. Julie Hubble arranged a knitted scarf around her daughter and held her face between her two hands.

“Promise you will call me when you need me?”

“Mum, don’t worry about it, I’ll be fine”.

Julie Hubble couldn’t help worry about it. How was she supposed to feel? Letting Mildred attend Hecate’s academy was like throwing her daughter’s head into the lion’s mouth. Wait. Was she comparing Hecate to a wild animal? She was not even sure the comparison was adequate. Even a lion would have a more developed maternal instinct. Julie had actually not realized how resentful she felt before that awkward meeting on selection day. Sure, she had lost a friend but she had also gotten a daughter out of it.

Julie barely had the time to kiss her daughter goodbye that she disappeared. She looked at the clock. 9 am on the dot. She sighed. Those witches were very punctual, it appeared.

Mildred materialized in the academy. She breathed the open air. This year was definitely going to bring some changes. She smiled widely as she was taking in her surroundings. Finally there. She decided to give a quick phone call to her mum to let her know that she had made it in one piece.

“Mum, it’s me! The transference spell worked perfectly… No I don’t feel sick… I think I miss you a little bit alr-”

Her phone suddenly vanished from her hand. She turned around and started hissing a not-too-polite “what the ?!”. She abruptly stopped when she realized that Miss Hardbroom was standing behind her, clutching her mobile phone with the tips of her fingers. She seemed somewhat disgusted by this technology.

“Such devices are not permitted here” said the deputy headmistress with her cold tone.

“But… How am I meant to reach my Mum?” tried Mildred.

“Mildred Hubble, you will learn that there is no ‘but’ with me. Besides, I am familiar with some of the habits and customs of the ordinary world. Enough to know that a phrase starting with ‘what the’ is not something you would wish a student from a distinguished magical academy to say. I expect 100 lines of ‘I will not use improper ordinary language in class’ by tonight.” She added.

Mildred was about to retort that, technically, she had not been in class, but decided it was wiser not to cross the deputy headmistress any further. She bowed her head.

“Yes, Miss Hardbroom. I’m sorry Miss Hardbroom.”

The deputy Headmistress disappeared, leaving Mildred back to her reverie, that is, until she saw Maud from afar. Her smile grew even wider.

“Maud!” Mildred started running towards her friend and abruptly crashed into a blond ponytail. She fell back on her bum and let out an “ouch”. When she saw Ethel Hallow’s face, she decided to quickly get back on her feet and help her pick up the pile of books that were now scattered on the ground. She didn’t want to give Ethel any more reasons to hate her.

“Don’t you dare touch my books, you clumsy girl!”

Mildred took one step back and looked at Ethel Hallow as she was walking towards the entrance of the castle. The first day of school was harder than Mildred had expected. She briefly closed her eyes, swallowed the sadness that was creeping in and then made her way through the crowd of students towards her new friend. When she finally reached Maud, her smile had somewhat disappeared.

“Millie, I’m so glad you’re here!” said Maud while hugging Mildred.

Maud then took her hand and made her way to the castle, babbling away about her summer.

“I still can’t believe I made it here. It just seems so unreal,” commented Mildred.

“How do you like it so far?”

“Well, I guess it’s okay for now. Although I have to admit that if Miss Hardbroom keeps giving me lines, my hand might fall”.

“Oh, Millie…”

“I wouldn’t be worried for you, though. I’m pretty sure she hates my ‘ordinary’ background” added Mildred, trying to roll her r’s as best as she could to imitate the deputy headmistress.

Maud laughed at that and then led the way into a great hall, where the girls were being given their house sashes. She recognized Esmeralda Hallow from a distance. She had met the older student at the entrance exam and had been stricken by her kindness, which was the complete opposite of her younger sister. Mildred and Maud both approached the desk.

“The colour tells you which corridor your rooms are”, explained Esmeralda.

Mildred looked at her red sash and then at Maud’s yellow one.

“Oh, we are not together,” Mildred commented. She clearly seemed disappointed.

“Sorry, HB decides who goes where,” replied the older Hallow.

Mildred looked around. She could see Maud’s room would be in the same corridor as Drusilla, not that Maud really cared about her. She could see the two Hallow sisters would also be sharing the same corridor as well. But among all the girls gathered around her, apart from her, she couldn’t see anyone with a red sash. She couldn’t help moping when she realized she would be on her own.

“Don’t worry Millie, we will have plenty of time together. So much that you will start to be fed up of my face,” reassured Maud while Mildred gave a faint smile.

Of course, among all the teachers of the academy, Hecate had to be Mildred’s form mistress. As such, it meant that she had a duty to her students, much to her dismay. It also meant that she had to guide the girls, in particular during the first few weeks. Hecate was leading the group of first years through the castle to the kitten room, where each student would be assigned their familiar. She could hear Mildred Hubble’s voice questioning her friend about the familiars. This girl was clearly clueless when it came to the witching world. What was she doing in such an academy?! Couldn’t she have used the time after selection day to acquire some knowledge?

All the girls were queuing at the entrance of the room, along the cold and dark walls. Mildred could hear all the meowing coming from the room. She had always dreamed of having a pet, but her Mum was not too fond of this idea. Mildred was observing her classmates being called to choose their familiars. Maud was the first one to be called. She looked scared at the idea of nearing the deputy headmistress, which was somewhat reassuring to Mildred. At least, she was not the only one to get the heebie-jeebies every time she caught sight of the black high bun.

It came as no surprise to Mildred that she was the last one to be called. The rational side of her brain was telling her that was because she had been the last student to be accepted at Cackle’s. But part of her couldn’t help thinking it was because Miss Hardbroom had something against her ordinariness.

As she was called upon, Mildred moved forward with her head up high. Well not really “called” actually. Miss Hardbroom gave her a stern look and hissed “hurry up!”, without even looking at her. When she finally entered the room, Miss Cackle was waiting for her. She held the girl tight in her arm for a brief instant. Mildred looked around the room and couldn’t hide her disappointment as there seemed to be no cat left. She looked at Miss Hardbroom with an imploring gaze. If only she could stop doing those puppy eyes, thought Hecate. Yet, she couldn’t stop looking at those eyes. She had been training herself not to feel anything other than detachment for the girl. But the truth was that she knew too well what was going on in that head of hers just by looking at those eyes. This brief moment of intimacy was interrupted by Miss Drill’s barging into the room, holding the remaining cat.

“It’s okay I’ve got him” said the joyful singsong voice. “Caught this little fella making a run for it. Here you go”

Miss Drill handed Mildred her cat. It was no black cat and she was really starting to believe that Miss Hardbroom had something to do with it. But Mildred was proud and she decided she would not give the deputy headmistress the pleasure to see her distress.

“He’s tabby…”

“I know he is not what you expected”, answered miss Cackle. “But it’s a foolish witch who judges by appearances, right Hecate?” she added, looking at Hecate.

She hated it when Ada used her name in front of the students. She was a very private person, and students hearing someone calling her by her first name was far too personal for her. It made her feel as if someone were intruding her privacy. The fact that this someone was none other than _Mildred Hubble_ made it even worse.

“Mildred Hubble, get back to the other girls” said Miss Hardbroom while glaring at Miss Cackle.

All the girls were now gathered in the corridors, pleasantly chatting away about their cats. Mildred was obviously standing out but decided not to pay too much attention to that. When Miss Hardbroom appeared in front of them, all the witches fell silent. The whole group navigated through the corridors. Hecate was showing them around, which is something she hated to do. She was a witch, not a tour guide! Hecate had demanded silence, but of course, Mildred Hubble’s voice could be heard. It seemed this student couldn’t lay low.

“Miss Hardbroom, I couldn’t help notice I was the only one wearing a red sash,” started Mildred

“How perceptive of you!” Deadpanned Hecate without looking at the girl.

“Does that mean that I will be all alone in my corridor?”

Hecate could discern Ethel Hallow’s whisper. “No one would want to be near a Hubble disaster”.

“Actually, it is not a corridor, it is a small turret,” countered Hecate, impassable.

Mildred didn’t utter a single word after that. Whether it was because her curiosity had been satisfied or because she was sad, Hecate didn’t seem to care. She was enjoying the quietness it brought to the whole Castle.

Hecate had decided Mildred would be the last one to get to her room. Not that she wanted to punish the girl of course, it was just that that particular room was on the other side of the castle. When they finally reached the room, Mildred suddenly felt a pinch of bravery and decided to address her terrible form-mistress.

“I have the feeling you’re trying to punish me for being from a non-witching family by assigning me to that room.”

“How dare you insinuate such a thing!” yelled Miss Hardbroom.

Too many people were judging her professionalism lately and she was deeply upset about that fact.

“It’s just... You don’t like me very much.”

“I don’t hate you, silly girl.” Hecate rolled her eyes while opening the door to Mildred’s room.

Why had she called Mildred a ‘silly girl’? That was almost an endearing term and it was not really what she had intended to say.

“You have a couple of hours of free time. You should use this time to settle and why not instruct yourself in the library,” added Hecate sternly.

“I guess I should also use that time to write my hundred lines as well, shouldn’t I?” asked Mildred with a hint of a smirk.

Hecate could hear a bit of sarcasm in her dau- in Mildred’s voice and she couldn’t help notice the resemblance.

“It seems you mother was right,” smiled Hecate tenderly and she hated herself for that.

Mildred looked puzzled.

“You’re a quick learner,” Hecate said although what she was thinking was ‘You do look like me’.

Miss Hardbroom suddenly made a hand gesture and disappeared from Mildred’s room.

The room in itself was scarcely furnished. There was an iron bed, a little chest of drawers, a desk, and a chair. No need to say there was no fluffy carpet or teddy bear waiting for her on the bed. Not that Mildred had pictured any of that. She could actually imagine her form-mistress telling her that a magical academy was ‘no frivolous matter’ and that ‘such luxuries didn’t have any place’ at Cackle’s. This deputy-headmistress was definitely a handful to deal with.

Hecate was back to her potions lab, relieved that this ordeal was all over. Being in this particular room always calmed her nerves. There was something soothing about all these vials being perfectly lined up on the shelves. She was now staring at the row of benches and she couldn’t help wondering whether Mildred was more of a front-row kind of student or more of a last-row kind of student. Why did she even care? It was not as if this girl had shown any talent.

Having spent the whole day guiding the first years around, Hecate had been excused from great hall duties, which she was also relieved about. The great hall was always noisy at diner time, particularly at the beginning of the year. It seemed those young witches always had marvellous and exciting stories about their summer holidays. And Hecate didn’t understand why they needed to be so loud about it. She’d rather enjoy the loneliness of her classroom. The truth is, nobody dared to disturb her in there unless they had a detention, in which case they’d better be there.

That particular evening, Hecate thought the young Hubble would not make it on time with her lines. Hecate had been using her overdeveloped hearing to spy on the girl at some point during the afternoon. It seemed Mildred had been having a nice time first playing with her familiar, then chatting with Miss Spellbody and meeting some of the other newcomers. After that, Hecate had decided she would stop doing that as it was driving her mad. She was now looking at her pocket watch. The clock hand was dangerously nearing bedtime.

Mildred had actually almost forgotten about her lines, but Maud had kindly reminded her not to cross the deputy-headmistress and so she used diner time to hastily come up with the hundred lines. Just before bedtime, she barrelled through the corridors and was almost panting as she arrived in front of Miss Hardbroom’s classroom. She had made a fool out of herself several times today and she intended for this to stop.

She timidly knocked at the door and let herself into the classroom. Miss Hardbroom was sitting at her desk, stiff as a board, writing something on a notebook.

“I was starting to believe you would never show up with your lines” said Miss Harbroom without even deigning to look at her student.

“Of course not, Miss” replied Mildred who was starting to feel awkward.

Miss Hardbroom held her hands, still not looking at Mildred. Mildred handed her lines, two pages of lopsided handwriting. As the deputy headmistress touched the sheets of paper, they started combusting. Although Mildred seemed surprised, Miss Hardbroom did not move an inch.

“But Miss Hardbroom, my lines, they just disappeared, and you did not even have the time to look at them. I promise they were there”.

Mildred’s eyes were about to pop out of their socket.

“I know, miss Hubble”, she stated calmly. “I just don’t see the point of wasting my time even looking at your lines”.

Mildred was raging inside. On the outside, she just looked devastated, thought Hecate. Exactly what she needed to put some distance between herself and the girl.

“You may go to bed, now”. Miss Hardbroom added as she went to focus on her notebook.

Mildred nodded and suppressed a sob as she quickly made her way out of the potions lab. She held her breath until she was far away from Miss Hardbroom’s office, so that she wouldn’t draw her attention, again. What she didn’t know but would know soon enough was that Miss Hardbroom could hear everything that was happening in the castle if she put her mind to it.

Miss Hardbroom was listening to the noises Mildred was doing in the corridors. Suddenly, it sounded as if the girl was letting it all out. It was as if the pipes had broken, or the floodgates had been opened. Either way, Hecate could almost feel the tears that were flowing down Mildred’s face. She was so focused on listening to Mildred’s sob that she did not hear Miss Cackle knock at her door.

“I just came across a very distraught Mildred Hubble”, started Miss Cackle.

Hecate now pretended to look surprised.

“It seemed to me she was just coming out of your office. Was there reason in particular why she should be in such a state?” asked Ada.

Hecate felt ashamed. She was blatantly lashing out on this girl. To Miss Cackle, her lashing out on a first year was very unprofessional, and to herself, to be lashing out on her own daughter was pathetic.

Seeing her deputy headmistress quiet, Ada kept going on on the subject.

“On the very first day of term, we usually hear little witches crying when they’re on their own in their room. Most of the time, homesickness is the reason why they are crying.”

“I don’t think it’s the reason why Mildred Hubble was crying, however”, decided to reply the deputy-headmistress.

“Whatever it is, Hecate, I trust your judgement. And I hope that when the time comes, you will talk to me about what has you behaving so harshly towards this particular student”.

“I am always a bit trying with the students. I have high standards and that’s what make them strive harder. You know that, Ada”, said Hecate to defend herself.

Ada gave her a look that seemed to say ‘come on, don’t fool me’, but Hecate was not ready to share this part of her life with Ada. Ada had always been a dear friend. Actually, they had met some time after her months in the ordinary world. And she had been the only person to offer her a helping hand.

“Do you think I should go and make sure Miss Hubble is in a better state?” asked Hecate, who was starting to feel guilty.

“That is up to you, my dear. As I said, I trust your judgement”. 

Hecate nodded and then materialised in front of the young Hubble’s door. She had thought it would be nicer than popping directly into the room. She knocked at the door, now feeling uncomfortable.

“Come in”, answered a little voice.

Hecate came in and took in Mildred’s state. She had red puffy eyes and a running nose.

“I just came to…”

Not to apologize, obviously, Hecate thought. Mildred had those puppy eyes, once again, and part of Hecate’s brain was melting at the sight.

“to thank you for your lines.”

Urgh! Thanking students for handing in their punishments, what a dreadful excuse! But she could see Mildred nodding. Her words seemed to have the intended effect.

“I like to make an impression on first years, just to make sure they keep in line, no pun intended”.

Mildred seemed to perk up at this unexpected joke. The terrible headmistress seemed to have a sense of humour, after all.

“This combustion you witnessed is actually a spell of mine, which I have been perfecting over the years and which is meant to... impress, if I may say, rowdy first year witches. Your lines are actually safely stored in my desk drawer”.

Miss Hardbroom suddenly made the pages filled with Mildred’s handwriting appear in her hands.

“So you did not just put my lines into vanishment?” Mildred’s voice betrayed her astonishment.

“Of course not, I obviously needed to make sure that you _had_ indeed written the whole hundred lines”.

“And so, did you count the lines then?” Inquired Mildred

“Of course not, silly girl. There’s a spell for it!” Miss Hardbroom rolled her eyes.

“It seems there are spells and potions for so many things. I can’t wait to learn them all”.

“There _are_ spells and potions for everything” If only she knew… thought Hecate.

“Goodnight Miss Hubble, I will see you in class tomorrow. Try to make your best to stay in my good graces. I wouldn’t want to give you any more lines”, Hecate added as she made the hand gesture she was famously known for.


	3. Confusing dream, confusing feelings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is the new chapter with a little bit of fluff in the form of a dream and more angst to come. I hope you'll enjoy it!  
> A big thank you to @CurlyWitch14 for her feeback on this chapter :)

Hecate struggled to fall asleep that night. She was rewinding all the conversations she had had with Mildred and thinking about a way to avoid having any further. She was clearly having mixed feelings about the whole situation. She had never envisioned the idea of seeing the baby she had carried, let alone teach her and almost live with her. But how could she not feel anything towards the girl? That was the kind of thought Hecate used to rock herself to sleep.

_The light filtered through the curtains of her bedroom. Although most people would have assumed Hecate’s quarters looked rather like a haunted mansion, she actually had a taste for cosy carpets and plaids on the sofa. Hecate loved it when Mildred nested next to her on the couch, scribbling on her artbook while she was reading aloud to her. Mostly botanical books. That was actually the only thing Mildred would let her read aloud. Her upper lip twitched into a smile._

_Hecate made her way through her kitchen. She was cooking a healthy breakfast for Mildred’s first day of class. She prepared a healthy juice of spinach kale and orange. Of course, Mildred would complain about what she would dub the ‘gross gruesome greenish colour’. She had come up with the alliteration and Hecate was really proud of her for that creativity, although she also wished she could redirect this creativity to spell creation._

_Everything was ready on the kitchen table, so Hecate walked into Mildred’s bedroom, which was right next to hers. As she was about to wake her up, she stopped for a moment. She had always enjoyed observing her daughter while she was asleep. There was something about her face that was so quiet and peaceful in the morning._

_Hecate decided to cup Mildred’s cheek and to wake her up with a kiss on the forehead._

_“Wake up sleeping beauty,” teased Hecate._

_Mildred grunted._

_“What would happen if I told everyone in the academy how much you love Disney Princesses?” mumbled Mildred._

_“I don’t know Mildred. What would happen if I told everyone that you prefer to sleep in my headquarters because you can’t stand being far away from Mummy?” answered Hecate with a smirk as she opened the curtains._

_“Not funny…” said Mildred, now sitting on her bed._

_“I know. I think you should consider taking a room like all the other girls at Cackle’s, though. It would help you fit in with your classmates.”_

_“I know,” Mildred sighed._

_Hecate, who could see her daughter was lost in thought, approached her and took her in her arms. Mildred nestled her head into her mother’s shoulder. Mildred had always found being tucked into those long arms very soothing._

_“You know well that you can always come for some cuddle time as long as…”_

_“as long as it is the privacy of your quarters. I know,” chorused Mildred with a smile._

_Her mother was a very private being and she knew well that any display of affection outside the comfort of their home would be met with a stiff Hecate Hardbroom._

_“I am being serious Mildred. I will have to treat you like any other girl at Cackle’s.”_

_“Does this mean I will get detentions?” wondered Mildred._

_“If you deserve it, yes you will. No special treatment.”_

_Mildred seemed annoyed._

_“Maybe I should have applied to Pentangle’s instead,” she grumbled._

_Hecate pretended not to hear. Her girl knew how much hearing the name of that school irritated her although she did not know the full extent of the story behind that resentment._

_“You will just have to remember that I love you, even when I get mad at you for not brewing your potion correctly.”_

Hecate suddenly woke with a start. A strong migraine surfaced. She scrunched her nose. She had just had the strangest dream. A glimpse of what her life could have been, had she made different choices at the time. She conjured up a vial of calming potion. Her thoughts seemed somewhat erratic. It had felt so real and so… natural. Hecate shivered at the idea of Mildred Hubble nuzzling against her but she couldn’t say whether it was out of thrill or disgust.

It was early in the morning – too early to be up – but Hecate took that opportunity to go for a walk through the gardens of the castle. She would need to gather herbs for the potion class anyway so she might as well enjoy the early dawn. Although she was very prone to transferring, walking had always been calming to her. It was a way for her to reconnect with nature and to focus on something other than her troubling thoughts.

Of course, she could not avoid great hall duties indefinitely. That morning, it was her turn to make sure everything was in order. She greeted the girls with a stern look. She couldn’t help eyeing Mildred across the room. This girl would need to learn how to dress herself properly, to do her hair and to lace her boots – among other things. Hecate was pacing through the room and making sure each and every bowl of porridge had been emptied. She was trying her best to ignore Mildred Hubble’s presence. But the truth was, she couldn’t help reminiscing that tiny human being wrapped up in her arms.

As Hecate neared the teacher’s table, she could hear the outpour of joy coming from Miss Drill.

“I always love the beginning of a new year! It’s always exciting to witness the next generation blooming.”

“What you call exciting, I call appalling,” commented Hecate in all seriousness.

“Oh come on, Hecate! Esmeralda Hallow won’t be here forever. Who knows, you might find a new protégée.”

“I very much doubt that,” answered Hecate dryly.

“I’ve had some help from a first-year student to tidy the broomstick cupboard yesterday. You know, it’s the one who crash-landed in the pond on selection day. She may be clumsy, but she’s a peach!”

Of course, she would talk about Mildred. And of course, Mildred would be the kind of selfless student who would help around. Hecate rolled her eyes.

Hecate did not realize that Miss Cackle had been paying particular attention to the way she reacted when the Hubble girl was mentioned. The roll of the eyes, the tensed hands. The deputy-headmistress seemed on edge every time the H name was dropped. Miss Cackle would definitely need to have another word with her.

That morning, Hecate was to attend the first broomstick flying lesson with the first years. It was always a tricky business and two pairs of eyes were useful to make sure that no witches would end up into a tree.

All the girls were lined-up next to their broom and their cat. Ethel Hallow was standing proudly, her chin up high. She transpired knowledge and control – something which Hecate admired. There was that nasty smirk, though, she thought. Maud Spellbody was standing happily, trying to focus on her broomstick. Mildred was giddily smiling her time away. She seemed content with herself – that girl! Why couldn’t she aspire to higher standards?

Miss Drill gave some instructions. The girls were to put their hands over their broomstick and to pronounce the phrase “hover”. Of course, Ethel Hallow succeeded immediately. Maud Spellbody did too. Actually, all the students achieved very well – except for Mildred Hubble. Hecate could see her getting nervous. Mildred was now fidgeting over her broomstick and her face was slowly getting a beetroot-red colour from irritation at the simple task which she couldn’t accomplish.

Although Hecate looked at her with annoyance, she couldn’t help wishing Mildred’s broomstick would fly up, just like it did for everyone else. This girl needed more control over her emotions.

Hecate was suddenly surprised when she saw the broomstick rising way up high in the sky. Of course, this girl would have outbursts of magic. Knowing that it was the mother who passed on her magic to her children, this excess of magic didn’t come as a surprise to Hecate. Not that she thought herself to be a powerful, but just… never mind. She didn’t want to think of the potential reasons for this overflow of magic. She rolled her eyes and then ordered the broomstick back into place without uttering a single word.

Hecate thought she had seen it all after Mildred’s terrible display of magic. But when it was time for the cats to mount the broomstick, Mildred’s tabby cat became absolutely furious, scratching Mildred’s hands and face. Miss Drill was guiding all the girls on how to start flying, and Mildred was still not making any progress with her cat. Even worse, her cat’s attitude was disturbing the whole class and Hecate was reaching a tipping point. It just seemed that this girl was incapable of controlling anything from her appearance to her cat.

She was now observing Mildred carefully and the girl could feel she was observed, which obviously made things worse. She tried her best to make her cat stay quiet but it did not help. Suddenly, the cat jumped away and ran across the field to go back to the castle. Of course, Mildred chased after her familiar and bumped into most of her classmates as she did so.

Hecate was furious and she materialised in front of Mildred to make her stop running.

“Mildred Hubble, where do you think you are going?”

“But it’s Tabby, Miss Hardbroom. I can’t help it,” implored the girl.

Miss Hardbroom made Tabby materialise in front of Mildred, who immediately perked up. Mildred was making her way back to the class.

“Oh, thank you Miss Har-”

“Go to your room, Mildred.”

“Excuse me?”

“I said, go to you room, now!” repeated Miss Hardbroom more firmly. “You and your cat are clearly not fit for this class”.

She could see Mildred’s eyes tearing up. The girl then dashed towards the entrance of the castle. Now it was Hecate’s turn to tear up. Why couldn’t she act kindly towards the girl? It seemed as if she were afraid that any sign of affection would betray her. And Julie had been very clear: she didn’t want Hecate to intrude upon Mildred’s life.

After that, everything came back to normal in the flying lesson – except for Miss Spellbody who seemed puzzled by Miss Hubble’s absence. Hecate could finally focus her attention on the others students, redirecting them when needed – doing her job, in short. Out of sight, out of mind, as some may say.

At the other side of the castle, Mildred was roaming through the winding corridors of the academy, holding Tabby in one arm. She knew she had been told to get to her room, but right now, she needed a little bit of comfort. The kind of comfort that only her mum could give her. And with her mobile phone gone, the only thing she could do was hoping that her mum would be standing next to a mirror.

Sitting in the comfortable armchair of the mirror-room, Mildred could see the inside of her flat. Her Mum was busy listening to music with headphones on. She could see the TV in the background and a framed picture of herself hanging on the wall. The young Hubble tried her best to catch her Mum’s attention, but to no avail. She relinquished with a sigh.

Tabby was now purring in her arms. This little animal also needed some comfort. She wiped her tears away and started petting her cat as best as she could.

“It’s not your fault Tabby…”

Mildred was truly disappointed as she made her way back to her room. Maybe she should have attended a normal school.

“Mildred, aren’t you supposed to be in your flying lesson?” asked suddenly Miss Cackle.

Mildred seemed genuinely surprised. She had been so focused on reassuring her cat that she had not noticed the presence of the headmistress.

“Miss Hardbroom told me I was to go back to my room. Tabby is terrified at the idea of flying.”

Miss Cackle listened kindly to Mildred’s words with a fond smile. She had actually seen her deputy-headmistress dismiss the girl from class. She couldn’t understand why Hecate was so harsh on this one. Yes, she was somewhat clumsy, as everyone seemed to say. But she was so eager to learn and to strive. With a little guidance, she could definitely achieve higher results. Maybe she would have to ask one of the teachers to tutor her in some way, to show her the ways in the magical world.

“Mildred, would you like to talk a little bit with your mother?” Miss Cackle could see the girl needed some support. And although she liked to think she was sometimes some sort of substitute grandmother for some of the girls, she could feel that Mildred needed to have some mother-daughter time right now.

“That’s kind of you to ask Miss Cackle, but I already tried mirroring her. I’m afraid she doesn’t know much about how it works, though.”

“Oh, I see. I should have thought about that sooner, Mildred. Would you kindly follow me to my study? We will try to remedy that.”

Miss Cackle settled in front of her private mirror. Mildred could see her flat once again. Julie Hubble was still listening to some music, so they could shout as much as they wanted, it wouldn’t have any effect. It was hopeless. Miss Cackle made a little hand gesture, and suddenly, Julie Hubble turned around, surprised at the sight in her Mirror.

“Oh, Miss Cackle, Mildred. Is everything okay? I tried to reach on your phone but you didn’t reply…”

“Miss Hardbroom confiscated my mobile as soon as I landed here,” Mildred explained sheepishly.

“Miss Hubble, I understand that you may not be familiar with how we communicate in the magical world. So I thought it would be useful for you to know that I magicked you mirror, so that you may contact the academy should you need it”

“That’s thoughtful of you, Miss Cackle. I may need some guidance on that. Thank you!”

“Now, I will leave you two to your discussion. But please Mildred, don’t last too long, you have a chanting class starting in fifteen minutes.”

Mildred smiled at that. She then went on to recount her last 48 hours to her Mum. Julie Hubble was bubbling inside, when she heard how harsh Hecate had been on Mildred. She tried her best to reassure her daughter, to tell her this would pass and that this Hardbroom teacher probably needed a little bit of time to adjust her teaching methods to a witch from a non-witching background. She tried her best to be comforting and to give Hecate the benefit of the doubt. But the truth is, she was fuming.

At first, when Miss Cackle had told her about the magic mirror, she hadn’t seen the point of using it to contact the academy, apart from reaching to her daughter. She had never been the kind to meddle in school business. She had always been there for Mildred, always volunteered at school when needed, but other than that, she was not the kind of intruding parent who would tell the teacher how to do their job. However, right now, she felt she would spend a lengthy mirror call that night. One she wished she did not have to do.

That afternoon, Mildred actually enjoyed chanting classes. Miss Bat was a funny old lady who sometimes suddenly fell asleep in the middle of a song, which was hilarious to Mildred. She started learning about the power of words through music and she found this idea quite fascinating. She would need to read more on the subject. She also had a class with Miss Cackle, who was a fantastic teacher. She had a true gift when it came to making students feel comfortable – something which some other teachers seemed to be lacking, naming no names.

At the end of the day, Mildred felt slightly better about being at Cackle’s. Maud had been the nicest friend ever and had accepted to spend some time with Mildred to help her with her cat. Her friend had even taken some time to visit Mildred’s room in the turret. She had been quite amazed at Mildred’s drawings and had asked her to make a drawing of the two of them to hang on the wall of her own room.

Hecate was not having the best evening of her life. Spending most of her day around Mildred Hubble had drained her of most of her energy. She was now preparing some tea, which she would sip while going over her lesson plan for the next day. She needed to keep herself busy with work, to get her mind off the one and only Mildred Hubble.

“Hardbroom!” A voice suddenly emanated from the mirror in Hecate’s quarter. She startled. These days, the only person using her family name was…

“Hubble. To what do I owe the pleasure?”

“The ‘pleasure’? Are you kidding me?”

“I assume you are intruding my quiet time to speak about Mildred.”

“You’ve been putting her through hell since she arrived at your Academy,” started Julie.

“I’ve been putting her through her education,” corrected Hecate. “which she clearly seems to be lacking.”

“Oh, don’t you dare!” Julie fumed behind her mirror. “You’ve been on earth for around forty years, working with children for I don’t know how many years and you’re still as cold as a tombstone, not to mention your social skills, which you also seem to be lacking. Fortunately for Mildred, she is young, she still has plenty of time to improve and she is a quick learner. As for you, nothing is less certain.”

“Anything else to add to your list of complaints?”

“You know, I have been reading your sacred _Witches Code_ and there are actually quite some interesting ideas in there.”

“If you could infuse some of your knowledge to your daughter, that would be much appreciated,” replied Hecate, her face emotionless as ever.

“Would you please stop making those sarcastic comments? I’m trying to talk about our daughter.”

Both Hecate and Julie seemed surprised at this slip of the tongue.

“Our daughter?” Inquired Hecate, half appalled and half hopeful.

“My daughter,” Julie corrected herself.

Hecate’s face shattered at hearing this change from ‘our’ to ‘my’. She didn’t even know why she suddenly cared. She was no mother to anyone and would never be. That was for sure. But still she couldn’t help the tear that was dripping down her face.

“You can’t keep treating her like that!”

“Like what Julie?”

“Like she’s just nobody!”

“Well you’ve been very clear that that she was nobody to me so I am trying my best to make sure that everything stays this way, as you required!”

“How can you be so insensitive to this girl!”

“She’s not my daughter, you said it yourself a couple of minutes ago. Right now, I really am trying my best to deal with this, in case you might not realize.”

Julie could see Hecate pacing her private quarters. She had one hand on her forehead. It seemed these thoughts were too big for that head of hers.

“I thought you had made your peace with this idea eleven years ago…”

“I thought I had but you’ve been sending me mixed messages ever since selection day. One minute you tell me to keep away from your daughter, then you tell me to look out for her, and then you call her our daughter.”

“I’m her mother, this hasn’t changed and I don’t want this to change on any account.” Julie was trying to make herself clear. “That being said, it doesn’t mean that the only way you can interact with her is by treating her the way you did”. Julie was trying her best to be diplomatic. “You are not her mother, but it doesn’t me you can’t be motherly to her.”

Hecate was digesting Julie Hubble’s words. She was raging inside. Basically, she expected her to be some substitute mother to Mildred in the witching world but not to utter a single word about her true relation to the girl. How insane an idea! Hecate was not the kind of person who did things by halves, particularly when it involved emotions. And being half a mother and half not a mother was not something she could do.

It had nothing to do with willpower or desire. She just couldn’t deal with emotions very well. It was not easy for her to open up to people and when she did, she didn’t do it by halves either. She trusted the person with a blind faith. There was no in-between for her. And she couldn’t imagine opening up to an eleven-year-old without inadvertently disclosing things she was not supposed to. Things she had never said to anyone, not even the one person who should have known about all of this in the first place.

“Don’t break her, Hecate. That’s all I’m asking”. Julie’s face said before disappearing from the mirror.

Hecate barely had the time to let herself fall in the sofa that she heard a knock on her door. She rolled her eyes, hoping that no student would dare disturbing her at such a time. She flicked her door open with her hand.

“Ada,” Hecate was surprised to see the headmistress.

“Hecate…” There was pity in the face of the headmistress.

“What can I do for you?” inquired Hecate who tried to regain her composure after her conversation with Julie.

“I think we need to talk”.

“Wouldn’t it be possible to wait for a more suitable hour of the day?”

“I don’t think so, Hecate. I saw you dismiss Mildred Hubble from her class this morning.” Ada looked serious.

“I guess we need to talk, indeed.”


	4. A much needed conversation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the lovely comments and the kudos!   
> Here is a new chapter for you, I hope you'll enjoy it :)

Ada was sitting at Hecate’s table, observing her deputy-headmistress’ facial features. She was clearly fretting about something – whatever that was. She was clenching her teeth and drumming her fingers on her pocket watch. Her whole body was tensed. Another thing that the headmistress noticed was that her colleague had shifty eyes. Every time she would catch Hecate’s eyes, Hecate would look away.

“Hecate, are you okay?” inquired Ada, who was concerned about this restless state of hers.

“Perfectly fine,” purred Hecate, pretending everything was for the best in the best of all possible worlds.

The headmistress stared intently at her friend and colleague. She knew it was hard for Hecate to open up to people. Usually, Ada wouldn’t intrude upon her private thoughts. But these thoughts were currently putting a student’s education in jeopardy. And even though she loved her friend dearly, that was something she couldn’t allow.

“I usually don’t comment upon your teaching methods. I know that no matter how strict a disciplinarian you may appear, you do it with the best of intents for our students. Which is why I can’t possibly imagine what you are trying to achieve with the Hubble girl.”

“I’m sorry, I…”

“I don’t need you to apologize, Hecate. I just want to understand what made you react so… poorly, shall I say.”

Hecate pondered for a while. She had never talked about it to anyone. She felt too ashamed to talk about it. Ashamed for the pregnancy she should not have wanted in the first place. Ashamed for her exile in the ordinary world. Ashamed for giving up her baby just because that was what her father had expected of her. Ashamed for accepting the pressure from the witching society her parents had raised her in. All of these thoughts flooded her mind and she now felt like a dam about to break.

“I’m sorry… I can’t.”

Hecate barely looked at Ada before she transferred herself away in her potions lab. Out of respect, Ada waited a few minutes and made the walk to the classroom on foot. She knew her friend would need a little time to regain her composure. Ada was not surprised when she found Hecate aligning the vials and books that were on the shelves of her classroom.

“So it is true, then,” Ada said as she entered the classroom and closed the door behind herself.

“What?” snapped Hecate who now seemed on edge.

“There were some gossips around twelve years ago about how Hector Hardbroom’s daughter got herself pregnant. These gossips obviously faded away some months after that, when you appeared at his great reception empty-handed and as flat as ever. I’ve never be one for gossips. But I remember seeing you on the front page of the newspaper. And although some people assumed from the smile on your face that you were enjoying yourself at this gala and that the pregnancy tale had just been some gossip to tarnish your father’s reputation, your eyes seemed to be telling a whole different story.”

Hecate, who had been hiding her face behind her two hands until now, let out a sob. Ada wanted to give her friend a comforting hug, but she knew it would have been too much for the deputy-headmistress. So instead, she just reached out for her hand and offered Hecate a reassuring smile.

“It’s okay not to be okay, Hecate,” whispered Ada.

“So you knew all along?” Asked Hecate.

Ada noticed the red puffy eyes and the sore complexion.

“I had my suspicions…”

“But you never said a thing about it, never alluded to it,” replied Hecate, puzzled.

“Well it was not for me to pry into your personal life and your past history. Healing takes time.”

Hecate was now looking at Ada and for the first time, she realized that all along, she had had a friend on her side. A friend she could have confided in. A friend who would have made her life easier, had she opened her heart a little more.

“All I’m saying, Hecate, is that I understand how overwhelming it can be for you to be around eleven-year-olds, this year in particular. However, your past doesn’t define you. Just because you had an impossible decision to make doesn’t mean you are a bad person. _You_ , Hecate, are a brilliant witch, and a brilliant friend, and a brilliant teacher – although Mildred Hubble might think differently.”

Mildred Hubble – they were getting back to that topic, thought Hecate.

“I couldn’t really understand why you were so strict and demanding with the girl. I’ve spent enough time with you to know that you wouldn’t act this way just because young Mildred is from an ordinary family. So I took the liberty of going through Mildred’s school file.”

Ada conjured a brownish file on the table. Hecate looked at the stack of papers and tried as best as she could to avoid her colleague’s eyes.

“Did you know that in the ordinary world, some schools keep a file filled with school reports and school pictures and many other school-related documents. Young Mildred seemed to be a lovely kid,” Ada added as she was taking the school pictures one by one and displaying them on the table.

Why was she doing that? Hecate struggled to keep her eyes off the photographs. Parts of her wanted to study carefully the features of this sweet charming little girl of hers. She kept her eyes locked on her bookshelf, though. What was the point in torturing herself some more? That was what Hecate rambled about – until one of the pictures fell to her feet. Then, she locked eyes with a maybe five-year-old Mildred.

The girl had little dimples on her cheeks, and she had the cutest smile. Hecate spotted a little twinkle in her eyes. She looked happy and Hecate couldn’t help thinking this girl had had a good childhood _without_ her. She couldn’t have looked after her. She was not mother-material. This young girl would have grown out to be a miserable pre-teen with her. She would have passed down all her insecurities to the girl. And Mildred would not have become the lovely young lady she was now.

“I take it from your silence that you may not want to delve any longer into this subject. But if you’ll allow me, I will keep on talking. And you needn’t say a word if you don’t want to.”

Hecate nodded. Keeping silent was something she could handle.

“As I was going through the document earlier,” added Ada, “I couldn’t help notice that Mildred’s date of birth happens to correspond roughly to the date of the gala I was mentioning, celebrating your coming back from wherever you were.”

Hecate was now staring at the headmistress, keeping quiet.

“And that’s when my mind started to put the pieces together. I remember you acted pretty strangely when you met Miss Hubble on selection day.”

Hecate tried to look offended at the implications but Ada tsked.

“You don’t teach an old dog new tricks, Hecate. I barely turned around that you started arguing with Miss Hubble like two old acquaintances, barking at each other like two old dogs.”

“You heard that?” asked Hecate, who seemed surprised.

“Of course, I did! I might be older than you but I’m not deaf!” laughed Ada. “But let’s not get off tracks.”

Ada and Hecate were now both looking at each other in all seriousness.

“I guess I owe you a story,” started Hecate.

But first, I will need some tea, thought Hecate. She transferred them both back into the privacy of her quarters. She walked to the kettle and pour Ada another cup. Ada, dear Ada, was kindly listening to the tale of Hecate and Julie’s first meeting. She kept looking at her deputy-headmistress with the softest non-judgmental face. For a reason unbeknownst to Hecate, it seemed the headmistress understood her distress. When the story came to an end, Hecate stood still, waiting for a reaction.

“So, you were going to spend four years, living with your daughter and never to say anything to anyone?” Asked Ada.

“Well, I was actually hoping you would see reason and terminate her trial,” admitted Hecate.

“I won’t do such a thing, Hecate. She’s your daughter!”

Hecate felt a pinch in her heart every time someone called Mildred ‘her daughter’. It was a mix of hurt and hope at the same time. Part of her wished she didn’t feel a thing. It would make her life less miserable. But despite what everyone assumed, she did feel a lot. She already cared too much about that wretched girl. Hecate suddenly decided to hold her thoughts there. She didn’t want to linger on these ideas – it always broke her heart. Love was much harder for her to give away than detentions.

“Hecate, just because Miss Hubble forbade you to tell anything to Mildred doesn’t mean that you can’t have a relationship with the girl…”

That was exactly what Julie had told her, actually. And it kept her wondering. The rational part of her brain was telling her to keep her distances from the girl. It was better for her mental health. She wouldn’t go through any heartaches or anything. It was safer this way. Would she regret it at some point ?

“Ada, have you seen how the girl looks at me? I scare her and I’m not saying I don’t deserve it. I know I do. I’m just saying that I’m not a mother and I will probably never be.” 

Ada noticed how Hecate kept referring to Mildred as ‘the girl’. She could see the internal struggle that was simmering in her friend’s head. Hecate was trying her best to appear detached from all of this. Referring to her daughter without calling her by her name was just one of the many strategies she had developed over the last few days to cope with the whole situation.

“Hecate, I know you. The real you behind the mask you wear everyday to appear as a strict disciplinarian. I know deep down a part of you wished you could have tucked ‘the girl’ in tonight.”

Hecate glared at Ada. That was blatant provocation to her. She had felt so confused after waking up that morning. All these feelings she had felt towards the girl in her dream had lingered for a while, so much that she had been afraid she would do something that would appear to intimate during the day. There had been only one thing she could do to avoid that: detachment and resentment.

But right now, she could only think about her girl being alone in her bedroom, not so far from her. She had truly made her day miserable. She could imagine her lying in her bed, reading – oh, no, she wouldn’t be reading, probably sketching something on her notebook. Hecate would transfer to her bedroom or maybe she would knock on the door? It was high time she turned off the light. She would have had a long day and would definitely need the rest. Hecate would sit on the edge of the bed and look lovingly at her daughter. She would delicately pick up the notebook and set it on the nightstand. She would help the girl to a sitting position and would start unplaiting her long dark hair. She would run her hands through her daughter’s hair before plaiting it back into a looser braid. She would cup her girl’s head and kiss her forehead. “Time to get to bed,” she would say. Her girl would complain a bit about not being tired – that’s what teenage do. But she would start humming a song while slowly stroking her daughter’s cheek. That would always do the trick. Her girl’s eyelids would become heavy and she would soon doze off. “Goodnight mummy,” she would mumble half asleep. “Goodnight my darling girl”.

After a long moment of silence, she decided to reply to her friend.

“Yes, I would have loved to, Ada. But the fact is, I lost the right to make any decision on this girl’s life the day I abandoned her.”

That was the hard truth, and Hecate knew it.

“You may have lost the right to make a decision as a mother, but as an educator, you have the obligation to care for your student’s knowledge. As such, you have to ensure that all of the student’s needs are met – and that includes Mildred Hubble. Whether you like it or not, she needs a tutor. Someone who could guide her through our world, who could show her the customs of our community. The girl is a witch and she deserves some guidance.”

Ada could see her colleague was about to interrupt her to raise objections. Of course, Hecate would have objections, Ada knew that. But she also knew that Hecate needed a little help to open up to the girl. And spending more time with the eleven-year-old would do just that.

“I will let you choose how you want to proceed from there Hecate, but from now on, when Mildred is at school, she is your responsibility. Goodnight Hecate.”

There was no arguing. The headmistress left Hecate to her private thoughts without even giving her the time to answer back. She was left alone, with the picture of a six-year-old Mildred still lying on the floor. She picked it up and examined it more closely. She closed her eyes for an instant and let her imagination wander. She could almost feel tiny arms around her neck and the tingles that came with it. Part of Hecate hated Mildred for her existence. But she also felt an infinite love and fascination for the girl she barely knew – and that hurt. She opened her eyes and shed a single tear.

~

Mildred awoke with a start that morning. Tabby was gently patting her nose – probably wanting to be fed. She decided to put all of her negative thoughts aside and to start the day with a smile. Mildred was usually not afraid of anything and liked to tackle things upfront. But navigating the magical was harder than she had imagined, particularly when it came to her form-mistress. It seemed to her that no matter what she did, the form-mistress would always find something wrong.

When she arrived in the dining hall for breakfast, Mildred directly spotted the deputy-headmistress who was helping herself with a bowl of porridge. She was now standing behind the tall figure, waiting for her turn. The woman was clad in a long black dress and had her typical high-bun. Her slender fingers were drumming on both of her arms. Mildred was mentally preparing herself to greet the woman with a perfectly delivered ‘well-met’ and a hand on her forehead, just as Maud had taught her to do.

Hecate was surprised by how gracefully the girl bowed. Almost despite herself, she replied with a smile. She saw Mildred’s face brighten for a moment. It seemed to her that Mildred was doing her best to be an exemplary witch today. And Hecate was trying her best not to find anything to reproach to the girl. Thankfully, the girl’s behaviour was helping, for once. Of course, everything was far from perfect. Hecate could see the girl’s bootlaces were untied and the hair looked somewhat messy. But it was a start.

Mildred joined Maud, who greeted her with the nicest smile she had ever seen.

“Millie! Was it my imagination or did Miss Hardbroom almost smile at you?” said Maud who seemed flabbergasted by the event.

“The deputy-headmistress, smiling at the worst witch of the academy?” Commented Ethel Hallow from afar with a raised eyebrow. “You may need to buy a new pair of spectacles, Maud Spellbody!” She sneered.

Mildred looked at Ethel as she walked away from the dining hall, holding a pile of books under her arm.

“She’s just jealous, don’t worry about her Millie.”

“How could she be jealous of me? Has she seen how Miss Hardbroom dismissed me from class yesterday? That was humiliating. There’s nothing to jealous of…”

“Well, hopefully, you will make a good impression in our potions class today.”

Mildred was now very anxious at the idea of attending her potions class. At least, she didn’t have to deal with Tabby. She cast a glance at the staff table. She was observing her deputy-headmistress. There was something mysterious about this woman and so sad and harsh at the same time. Had miss Hardbroom really smiled at her?

Maud and Mildred both made their way to Miss Hardbroom’s classroom. They had decided they would sit at the front row and try to make it through the end of the class without a scratch. Well Mildred had actually decided that and Maud had agreed to help her.

There were so many things to look at in this room. There were cupboards filled with jars of undefined potion ingredients. Mildred tried to decipher the neat handwriting on the cupboard right next to her. Eyes of newt. Mildred shivered and almost knocked a recipient on her station at the same time.

“Careful Millie!” whispered Maud.

“I’m sorry Maud…”

When the class started, Miss Harbroom’s faint smile had totally disappeared, she was back to her usual strict self. Mildred adopted a very rigid posture and try to appear as focused as possible on her work. The girls were to follow instructions from a book and so far, everything had been perfect. At some point, Miss Hardbroom came close to their station to appraise their work. Mildred was staring at the pocket watch around the neck of her teacher. It looked very ancient, as if it were some kind of family heirloom. She started wondering at Miss Hardbroom’s family. She seemed to be a lonely person. Whether it was by choice or not, Mildred had no idea, but she couldn’t help but pity her.

The end of the class was nearing, and Mildred was really proud for making it through an entire lesson without provoking Miss Hardbroom’s wrath, something which she seemed to excel at so far. Everyone was cleaning their station, it was part of the learning process, according to the teacher. Maud had been scrubbing the cauldron while Mildred was putting vials, flasks and jars back to where they belonged. Miss Hardbroom was staring at the time on her pocket watch. She looked as if she were waiting impatiently for the end of the class to come.

Mildred was so proud of herself for this angst-free morning that she started to get back to her normal joyful self. She was hopping gleefully through the classroom, almost done with the cleaning part. She picked the last jar on her station – slug slime – and went back to skipping through the classroom when suddenly, she found herself sprawled on the floor. Laughter erupted from the back row of the classroom. Mildred could her Ethel’s judging voice calling her a ‘clumsy clot’. But the worse part was yet to come.

Mildred got back on her two feet as fast as she could and adjusted her uniform. She was about to go back to her station when she suddenly realized that Miss Hardbroom was standing in front of her, covered in slug slime from head to toe. Mildred faltered and everyone in the room could see her face crumple.

“I’m so sorry Miss Hardbroom, I didn’t mean to –“

“Class dismissed!” interrupted the potion mistress. She seemed furious.

All the girls quickly filed out of the classroom while Mildred fetched the empty jar which had rolled through the lab and put it back where it belong. Miss Hardbroom made a hand gesture and her slime-free face appeared once again with a stern look. Tears gushed out of Mildred’s eyes who suddenly sat on the stair of the front row. She covered her eyes with both of her hands. She felt so ashamed to be crying in front of her form-mistress. She was such a cry-baby – a pathetic irksome cry-baby, she thought to herself.

She timidly opened one eyes when she felt a presence close to her. Miss Hardbroom was sitting on her knees in front of Mildred, cautiously tying the girl’s laces with her long delicate fingers. Mildred wiped her eyes and dared looking at her form-mistress.

“Those bootlaces need to be tied at all time, Miss Hubble.”

Miss Hardbroom looked as if she suddenly cared and that surprised Mildred who was now gawping.

“I assume it is the reason why you fell and splattered me with slug slime. I’ve been told snail slime is actually more potent when it comes to skincare products.

Mildred’s mouth was still wide open.

“Oh please, do close your mouth. That is very unbecoming of a witch. I will see you at the potions lab at 6 tonight.”

Mildred was surprised at this invitation. Miss Hardbroom

“You want to see me?” asked Mildred innocently.

Miss Hardbroom raised an eyebrow. She was actually quite amused at the girl’s gullible comment. And for a moment she imagined inviting the girl over her quarters for tea. She would see Mildred’s face brighten again as it did this morning when she unwillingly offered her a smile.

“I wouldn’t use the word ‘want’. But it seems to me that a detention is needed.”

And Mildred’s face crumbled again.


	5. When things go from bad to worse

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mildred draws, mishap ensues

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is the new chapter, which could not have existed without the help of Curlywitch14.   
> Ennjoy :)

Mildred was attending her fourth detention in a week. To most students, it would feel like serving a prison sentence. Yet, Mildred didn’t exactly loathe the experience as much as she thought she would. She was already getting accustomed to the silent treatment Miss Hardbroom was giving her. It had felt a bit awkward at first to be standing in front of the formidable form-mistress without exchanging a single word, but this was now becoming a sort of routine.

More often than not, Mildred would sit at the station she usually shared with Maud during lesson. Miss Hardbroom would hand over a textbook and ask her to read it carefully. Up to now, she had skimmed through the pages of the _Witches Code_ thrice because Miss Hardbroom deemed it necessary for Mildred to know it by heart. Although she understood the need for regulations, Mildred found some of these rules to be somewhat absurd. Why could there only be a Great Wizard and not a Great Witch? Why couldn’t she use a wand when in the non-magical world everyone assumed witches and wizard would use them? Was there a _Wizards Code_?

Mildred had so many questions. But under the icy glare of her form-mistress, she usually kept her thoughts to herself. Once, on her second detention, she had had the audacity to stare at the tall woman, as she was perched over her desk correcting a pile of papers. Mildred couldn’t explain the awe she felt for the woman and didn’t know whether it came from wonder or fear. Without even looking up to her, Miss Hardbroom had redirected her student on the textbook and reminded her that she would need to know the rules by heart. Mildred had rolled her eyes, and this is how she had earned another week of detentions.

In the potions lab, Mildred couldn’t focus on the _Witches Code_ anymore. She kept turning around to look longingly at the window at the back of the room. There had been exciting chatter within first-year students since the morning. Apparently, there was a new girl arriving at school and a spectacular show was bound to happen at her arrival. Mildred wondered what a spectacular show could look like in the magical world.

Marking papers, Hecate was getting used to the companionable silence of her detentions with Mildred. So far, she had had the girl work on the Code and although she had not issued a test on the subject, Hecate had found some pleasure in quizzing the young girl randomly when she ran into her in the dining hall or in the corridors. She was making progress and soon, she could shift the focus of the detention towards more interesting subjects, namely herbology. Hecate hid her smile and decided to finally look at the girl sitting at the front row.

Mildred was easily distracted from the textbook that day, Hecate noticed. She was chewing on her pencil and staring at the deputy-headmistress with puppy eyes. Hecate sighed.

“What is it, Miss Hubble?” Snapped Hecate, slightly annoyed at the girl’s lack of concentration.

Mildred seemed surprised to hear her form-mistress’ voice.

“It’s just… I was wondering if maybe my remedial lesson could finish early today…”

Hecate almost smiled at that. Mildred was a very perceptive girl for her age and it seemed she could see through Hecate’s schemes. But Miss Hardbroom could not drop her guard. So she conjured her stern glare and her witty remarks. Hecate quirked her brow. Mildred was now squirming on her chair. She seemed uneasy.

“Remedial lesson?” inquired Hecate. “That is quite the understatement for what I call detention!”

“I may not like being stuck up in this room every day after class, but I have to admit that I learn a lot during these detentions.”

“Well, if you prefer, next time you may copy the _Witches Code_ , if that is more to your taste.” Hecate nagged.

Mildred lowered her eyes. It had been foolish of her to ask that. It was detention, after all.

“I’m sorry miss Hardbroom.”

Hecate had mixed feelings. She didn’t want to be soft. Not now. She still needed to instil rigour in the girl. But the whole school had been buzzing with elation since the announcement of the arrival of the Nightshade girl. The Nightshades were a famous family in the witching world – not that Hecate really cared for celebrities. And although she wished Mildred did not entertain herself with such frivolous matter, she could also see that the girl needed to be acquainted with all the facets of the magical world, and not only the ones she regarded as worthy of attention.

With a flick of the hand from Miss Hardbroom, the book Mildred was holding found its way back onto the bookshelf. The young witch looked at her teacher, dumbfounded. Without saying a word, Miss Hardbroom flipped the door open and gestured to the way out. Seeing that smile from ear to ear on Mildred was priceless. The girl quickly readjusted her sash and thanked the teacher. She dashed out of the classroom with excitement.

“No running in the corridors, Mildred Hubble!” The voice of the deputy-headmistress echoed through the corridor.

Mildred’s race came to a halt. She kept walking towards the entrance of the castle at a steady pace.

“Mille!” Maud exclaimed. “You made it out of detention!”

Mildred nodded and clasped her hand with excitement.

“How did you do it?” Wondered some of the girls with amazement.

“I just ... asked politely, I guess.”

Miss Cackle, who was patiently waiting further back for the Nightshades’ arrival, smiled. She was glad to hear that Mildred could see through the impenetrable walls surrounding her deputy headmistress. Deep down, she knew her dear Hecate was becoming softer, although she would presumably never admit it.

“Pretty sure Miss Hardbroom just had enough of the worst witch and couldn’t bear her presence any longer.” Ethel Hallow commented as she made her way through the crowd to the front row.

Although the young Hallow claimed celebrity was overrated, everyone could see that she was just as excited as any other girl. Mildred rolled her eyes and started imitating Ethel, putting her chin up high and making grand gestures.

“Mildred Hubble! I did not let you out of detention to see you monkey about in front of everyone, did I?”

Mildred shrunk beneath the icy glare of her form-mistress. It seemed the potions teacher had eyes everywhere and could sense every time Mildred was playing to the gallery – much to Mildred’s annoyance.

A sudden noise made all the girls look up. Whatever show the Nightshades put on, it always involved tons of glitters and sparkles. They definitely knew how to take fireworks to the next level. There were all sort of forms and shapes and colours and textures. The crowd’s mouths were left gaping after a large firework lit up the sky. It had been spelled to resemble the school’s emblem with the cat sitting on the moon – probably to make an impression on the headmistress.

Although Hecate wasn’t much for exuberant displays of magic, she had to admit she had never enjoyed a firework as much as this one. Maybe it had to do with her daughter’s look of admiration every time a new one appeared up in the sky. Or maybe it had to do with her daughter’s little gasps. Or maybe it had to with the way she was excitedly fidgeting next to her friends. Or maybe it had to do with the memory she heard her daughter share with Maud Spellbody after she was asked whether fireworks existed in the ordinary world.

“I remember the first time I went with Mum. It was in a big stadium and I remember sitting on her lap on a warm summer night. Ordinary fireworks are much noisier. And I was slightly scared. So my mum held me tight and covered my ears with her two hands until the end of the show.”

And for a fraction of a second, Hecate imagined herself holding Mildred tight while watching the display. And for a fraction of a second, Hecate felt content. Until the quiet of the night returned.

Miss Cackle ushered the girls back into the castle to greet the Nightshades. Mildred was about to hide in a corner to get a better glimpse of the new girl when she met Miss Harbroom’s stare. She decided it was wiser not to cross the teacher and followed Maud back into the dining hall.

Ethel was still parading around, hoping to impress the new girl upon her arrival. Her ponytail was higher than usual, and her uniform was the straightest it had ever been. Miss Cackle finally made her way to the centre of the room and introduced Enid Nightshade to all the students. Mildred was disappointed to see she was wearing a yellow sash, just like Maud. She was actually hoping to get a new bedroom neighbour.

Ethel was obviously the first one to make her way to Enid, boasting and looking rather proud of herself. She bowed and elegantly put her hand on her forehead.

“Well met! My name is Ethel Hallow. You will soon learn that I’m the smartest witch there is in this school.”

Enid had the most angelic face on earth, which is why it came as a surprise to everyone when they heard her talk.

“How nice to meet you, Ethel Shallow!”

Her angelic faced turned into a cheeky one. Ethel was horrified. Most students were left gawping, except for Mildred who could be heard chuckling behind her hand. Enid immediately knew she had found an ally in Mildred, which is why on her first meal at Cackle’s, she decided to sit right next to Mildred Hubble, who was not used to being the chosen one.

At the other side of the room, Hecate didn’t know what to think of that. Part of her was happy that Mildred was making friends. But knowing Enid Nightshades school record, she wasn’t sure it was the type of girl she wanted her daughter to be friend with. She didn’t want to have any more reason to put her in detention.

**~**

The next morning, all the girls were bundled in the middle of the potions lab, arguing about who Enid Nightshade would team up with, so much that they didn’t see the form-mistress appear behind her desk.

“Girls, sit down. Qui-et-ly!”

All the girls but Enid Nightshade quickly made their way to their station.

“Miss Nightshade, I would advise to choose your cauldron partner wisely,” added Miss Hardbroom.

Enid confidently stepped forward towards Mildred and Maud’s table, without even looking back at the teacher. Mildred caught the look from miss Hardbroom. Was it surprise or disgust? She couldn’t really say. But she was used to being on the receiving end of this glare. Sometimes she oculdn’t help but thinking she deserved it. She _had_ covered her teacher with snail slime after all.

Maud wasn’t entirely enthusiastic. It was not that she did not enjoy Enid Nightshade’s presence. It was just that she knew the only thing the Nightshade girl would bring was trouble. At the other end of the room, Ethel Hallow mumbled rather loudly about how dumb Enid’s choice was. Miss Hardbroom decided not to comment on that and to start her lesson.

“Duplication potion today, page 25 of your textbooks,” she said as she magicked a piece of chalk to transcribe everything she was saying on the blackboard.

“As you may gather from the name, this potion is meant to duplicate small objects in exactly the same size and proportions,” Hecate carried on.

A wide grin appeared on Enid’s face, who was already thinking about all the things she could achieve if she used the potion on herself. Mildred was writing frantically on her notebook. She was hanging on the teacher’s every word so much that she didn’t realize her elbow was slowly reaching the box of dragonfly wings, which she knocked off her desk. Miss Hardbroom screeched.

“Mildred Hubble, do be careful around the potion lab, clumsy girl!”

Mildred acknowledged the teacher with a nod, without uttering a single word.

“As I was about to say, this potion is not meant to duplicate living beings. So no duplicating yourself, your friends or your familiar,” Hecate warned while eying each and every student in the classroom, but lingering a little longer on the Nightshade girl.

“Can we duplicate roses? I hear students in Pentangle’s do that all the time to impress their headmistress. She loves pink and roses and she’s so glamourous,” daydreamed Felicity Foxglove.

Miss Harbroom bristled with bitterness at the mention of the pink witch.

“Miss Foxglove, magic is not mean to be used for frivolous purposes!” The teacher exclaimed.

“Could we maybe duplicate food?” inquired Mildred shyly.

The chalk writing on the board broke itself as the deputy-headmistress clenched her fists. Ethel Hallow rolled her eyes and took it upon herself to enlighten the whole class with her superior knowledge.

“Magic food has no sustenance and hence is not meant to be duplicated!”

“Thank you very much, miss Hallow. At least someone here is worth my time,” commented Hallow as she was walking through the rows of students. “Today, you will be duplicating quills. The school supplies need refurbishing. Now, get to work.”

Hecate spent the whole hour observing Mildred and her friends suspiciously. Thank the Great Wizard for Maud Spellbody, who was the only one with a vague understanding of the craft in the trio. The young Nightshade was clearly clueless when it came to potions. Mildred, who could obviously not go through a whole hour without a fiasco, almost stumbled upon her stool when she got yelled at for adding to many drops of frog tears in her cauldron.

Hecate could see the girl seething with rage. She was not immune to the girl’s emotions. And it pained her to have to do so. But Mildred needed to learn. And Miss Hardbroom was determined to make her learn the hard way. It was unfortunately the only way she knew.

She prevented catastrophes from a couple of other students. She had to bring back Miss Foxglove from her daydreaming. She had to teach Miss Paddock to crush beans properly. At the end of the lesson, she was exhausted from all the incompetency of all of her students, except Ethel Hallow. She was a bit of a pain to Mildred, but she definitely was knowledgeable, which is something Hecate appreciated in her students.

Mildred was stuffing her notebooks in her satchel with a huff. Potions was always the worst. She might well try her best, she was always the worst witch in potions. As Ethel Hallow was about to leave the classroom, Miss Hardbroom decided to offer a praise to the blonde witch, which was answered with a wide proud smile. Praises were not something Miss Hardbroom offered a lot and Mildred did not miss that. It pained her to realize that Miss Hardbroom actually had the ability to pay compliments to students. Students she liked, at least.

Chanting class was always much better. Miss Bat usually slept through half of the class and Mildred could use the hour to take out her notebook to draw. Her coloured pencil were in her dormitory room but she could still work on the outlines of her drawing.

Cackle’s academy had been a new source of inspiration for her drawings. The castle in itself was interesting to draw, perched upon the hill with all its turrets and fortifications. The library was also an interesting room to draw, with all the ancient frames hanging on the walls. But what Mildred had been drawing the most was her form-mistress. She had been spending way too much time in the potions classroom and had had the time to study every little details of her face. The way her upper lips twitched every time Mildred addressed her. The way her forehead wrinkled when she looked astounded. The shape of the eyebrows. The discreet but elegant eye-liner.

But right then, Mildred was crossed with the deputy-headmistress. The woman was clearly the kind to play favourites, particularly with Ethel Hallow. And the worst part was that Mildred did not want to be the favourite. Mildred just wanted to learn, and she wanted to be taught, which Miss Hardbroom clearly seemed incapable of – at least with her. She had seen how the teacher redirected her students, showed them how to prepare potion ingredients. But the closer she would get to Mildred’s station, the less instructions and indications she would give.

It is all this anger that fuelled Mildred’s drawing that day. She was scribbling frantically on her notebook what looked like a series of little vignettes depicting the potions classroom. She could translate into picture the mannerism of her potions teacher quite accurately.

The lovely face she would make to Ethel Hallow and how she would praise her, almost smiling at her. The childish admiration in her eyes when in front of her bookshelf. The anger which turned her pale face into a crimson colour every time she was disciplining her least favourite student. The curve of her mouth when she spat words at her instead of gently correcting her. The way her eyebrows arched when she was appalled by what she saw.

Mildred had also picked up on the awkwardness of the teacher when it came to social interactions. That, she also rendered in her art, which was more and more turning into a caricature. The bun was becoming bigger and bigger, as big as her big smarty-pants head, Mildred thought. In one of the vignettes, the broom standing next to the potions mistress was as prickly as the deputy-head herself. One of the pictures depicted a close-up on the deputy-headmistress’s head, her features exaggeratedly scrunched with frowned brows giving the woman an air of superiority.

Mildred was polishing the captions underneath each vignette when Enid Nightshade ripped the page from Mildred’s notebook to have a look at it. Enid was astounded by the drawings. Well not the content of the drawings in itself but rather their quality and the amount of details added to each vignette. A long conversation about art classes ensued between the two young witches, which was soon interrupted by Miss Bat’s sudden awakening.

“Miss Bat, Mildred and Enid’s chatter is bothering me. I cannot hear myself sing,” tattled Ethel.

Miss Bat made her way through the classroom to see what the kerfuffle was about. Enid quickly made the drawing disappear under her chair and put on her best angel-like face. Mildred looked at her disapprovingly and then focused back on her chanting. She needed to succeed at something. And If that was not potions, why not chanting after all? The teacher was obviously not as enigmatic, but she _was_ dedicated to her craft too.

The croak announcing the end of the morning class could be heard throughout the academy. Mildred finally left the classroom alongside Maud and Enid. They were all chatting excitedly about the weekend to come. Maud obviously planned on spending some time on her assignments. Enid was considering a series of pranks she could pull. Mildred was rather indecisive but decided she would avoid detention.

In the staffroom, Miss Drill and Miss Bat were discussing the latest misadventure with the first years. Miss Hardbroom was pretending not to care as she poured herself another cup of black tea.

“That is quite some art!” Miss Drill laughed loudly. “Who is it from?”

“Oh, I don’t know, I only found the sheet of paper as the students were filing out from the classroom.” Miss Bat answered with a shrug. “Petty scribbles, as usual.” She added.

Hecate discreetly cast an eye on the aforementioned sheet of paper. Her eyes were about to pop out of her skull when she realized who was portrayed on the drawings. She picked up the paper with the tips of her finger and carefully examined the delicacy and the wrath in the lines.

“Someone has been studying you thoroughly,” commented Miss Drill looking at the potions Mistress.

Miss Hardbroom looked outraged at this statement. With a wave of the hand, she disappeared to her quarters with the drawing in her hand. She sat in her armchair and inspected the paper closely. It was a series of little cartoons. Judging from the persons portrayed, this had definitely been crafted by a first-year student. She was now paying attention to the captions underneath the little drawings.

“Miss Hardbroom and her little pet.” The first one read.

“Miss Hardbroom and her one and only love: the bookshelf.” Read the second one.

The more Hecate read, the more infuriated she became.

“HB and her twin.” Read the drawing with Hecate standing next to a broom.

The final blow came with the final picture – Hecate almost lost it.

“HB being her usual hard-bitch self.”

Still gripping the drawing in one hand, Hecate transferred to Miss Cackle’s office without announcing herself.

“Hecate, I do wish you would knock on the door as most civilized witches have learnt to do,” sighed Ada.

Hecate had lost the ability to form any coherent sentence. She was too engulfed in her own rage. In her whole career, never had she been treated in such a way. She was strict and authoritarian, some might say. But she was fair. And although she was aware her initials had sometimes been made fun of, she hoped her pupils would fear her enough not to attempt such a wisecrack - if that could be called a wisecrack.

After a while, Hecate finally managed to utter a complete grammatical sentence.

“I want all the first-year students gathered in assembly right away,” demanded Hecate.

“Well, you _are_ their form-mistress. Do feel free to gather them if you deem it necessary,” observed Ada.

Hecate was nervously pacing back and forth in front of the desk.

“It seems to me that you are expecting me to give you my blessings. Is this because it is Mildred’s year? Do you think she has something to do with this… piece of art, shall I say?”

Hecate was now pouting like an eleven-year-old. Ada could read her like an open book. Hecate was indeed annoyed because it was Mildred’s year. But what irritated her more was that the words written on the page were hurting more that she thought they would. They had woken up old demons she thought she had buried long ago.

“I don’t think so. I’m actually rather certain Enid Nightshade is behind this. Have you seen that school record of hers?” Hecate queried.

“I have. But as you are aware, I believe in second chances, Hecate.”

“I know you do. I guess I have to go. I have an assembly to prepare.”

“I will be there to support you Hecate. I do believe in second chances. But I also believe that junior witches should show respect to their elder.”

Ada squeezed Hecate’s hand in her own and offered her a compassionate smile. The younger witch accepted the gesture for a fraction of a second before straightening herself up.

“Well, I shall see you there, then,” concluded Hecate before transferring.

**~**

The hall was swarming with students who were wondering why they were summoned all of a sudden. Hecate was standing on the stage, tapping on the lid of her pocket watch. She was observing Enid Nightshade out of the corner of her eyes. The girl was smiling innocently but Hecate was not fooled by that angelic face. She then spotted Ada at the corner of the room. The headmistress was silently observing the first-year students filling in the hall, casting a hesitant glance towards her colleague. After a few minutes, Ada gave Hecate an encouraging nod and suddenly all the girls grew quiet.

“I will get straight to the point,” started Hecate in her most Miss-hardbroom-like voice. “A particular series of appalling drawings has been brought to my attention by Miss Bat.”

Miss Hardbroom, who was paying close attention to the Nightshade girl, noticed how the young witch flinched at the mention of the drawing.

“I am sure the person who is behind that disgusting display knows what I am talking about and that I won’t need to elaborate any further on the content of this drawing.”

Hecate paused for a second, scanned through the crowd while casting her most ferocious gaze.

“And I want this person to know that this won’t go unpunished.” She added.

“You won’t be allowed to leave this room before the offender takes ownership and responsibility for her actions.”

All the girls turned around to look at each other with an inquisitive look. Hecate, who was still eying the Nightshade girl saw her gulping.

“I do not like to be kept waiting!” The deputy-headmistress warned.

Hecate was so focused on the new girl that she was unaware of the whispers that were coming from the other first-year witches. Maud Spellbody was staring intensely at her friend’s guilty face.

“Millie, don’t tell me you have something to do with it…” Maud sighed with worry in her eyes.

Although she considered herself to be Mildred’s best friend, she couldn’t condone her rash behaviour.

“She was not supposed to see the drawing. It was in my notebook and Enid snatched it away and…” said Mildred with a guilty face.

“What was on this drawing to make HB so furious?” Maud wondered.

Mildred avoided Maud’s gaze. She felt ashamed.

“I may have made fun of HB and written that she was a bitch…”

Maud stood there with her mouth open.

“Oh, Mildred, you are dead meat…”

Mildred knew she was dead meat. And she now wondered what had gotten into her. Sure she had been angry with her form-mistress’s behaviour. But for an obscure reason, her anger had been heightened and she had totally lost control of her words.

Mildred took a deep breath and made a step forward the formidable Miss Hardbroom.

Hecate, who had been watching the Nightshade girl carefully over the last minutes, didn’t register someone had come forward.

“What is it, Miss Hubble?” snapped the deputy-headmistress. She was clearly annoyed.

“I… I d-did it,” stuttered the young witch, who was shrinking under the intense stare of the woman.

The hall suddenly grew silent. Everyone was focused on the interaction between Mildred and the senior witch, including Miss Cackle who was speechless. She knew her colleague suspected the Nightshade girl. Never in her wildest dreams would the deputy-headmistress imagine the young Hubble to be behind it all. And even though she knew the true relationship between the two, Miss Cackle couldn’t imagine what it felt like to be treated in such a way by your own daughter.

“Class dismissed,” seethed Miss Hardbroom, still staring intently at the Hubble girl.

Mildred was looking at her untied boots as everyone was clearing away from the hall. She had no idea of what she was supposed to do and as nothing was said, she slowly turned, hoping she could get back to her bedroom. As she did so, she caught the stern face of Miss Cackle, which was something she had never seen so far. She was suddenly in her bedroom, facing the deputy-head.

“You will be confined to your bedroom until further notice,” declared Miss Hardbroom with an icy glare.

The door shut behind the tall figure and Mildred was left alone in her cold bedroom. She was in a right mess and although her anger seemed justified at the time, she now realized how disproportionate it had been.

Back into the headmistress’ office, Miss Cackle was sitting behind her desk, holding her head as she could sense a migraine surfacing. She was dreadfully waiting for the moment her deputy-head would come to her, probably more upset than she already was. And little did the deputy-head know there still were surprises in store for her.

Suddenly, the headmistress felt a light breeze which made her look up. She sighed. Hecate was standing there, with her eyes puffy and red. Her two hands were joined in front of her in a rather stern fashion.

“What do you want to do about it?” asked Ada.

“What we usually do with young witches who disrespect authority,” snarled Hecate.

“I am afraid there is no such precedent on that matter…” The headmistress admitted.

“She needs to be expelled.” Hecate declared heartlessly.

She had lost patience with Mildred. She had tried to be motherly to the girl – to the best of her possibility, at least. She, who was known for being uncompromising, had let her leave detention early. She had turned her detentions into remedial lessons. All that fuss for nothing. All that fuss only for Mildred Hubble to insult her publicly. She was no mother to the girl and she would never be. That was for sure.

“I am afraid that won’t be possible.”

“Excuse me?!” Hecate exclaimed. “This girl does not belong here. This drawing is just the tip of the iceberg. She does not pay attention in class, always daydreaming the hour away. She still hasn’t learnt the basic uses of plants, so I can’t imagine how she could brew a potion properly. She can’t stand on a broomstick. She is no witch.”

Part of Ada wanted to reply “whose fault is that?”, but she realized it would not be of any help. She decided to go for the honest answer, the real reason behind her decision not to expel Mildred Hubble. Another fact which would upset her deputy-head even more.

“I have been notified that Cackle’s would be hosting the spelling be this year.”

Hecate was observing the mournful face Ada put on. What did it have to do with Mildred Hubble and why was there a gloomy atmosphere to this announcement? The spelling bee was a competition for brilliant minds and Hecate had always enjoyed when some of her students took part in the tournament.

“And?”

“Do you want the bad news or the very bad news first?”

Hecate sighed and Ada could see she’d better spill the beans.

“This year, miss Hallow and miss Hubble have been enrolled for the competition which is to take place next week.”

Hecate rolled her eyes. Of course, it would be the “H” year. And of course, the wretched girl would have to take part in such a prestigious event when she was not in any way fit for this sort of competition. She was fuming inside.

“That’s not everything, Hecate. This year, the competing school happens to be Pentangle’s academy.”

Hecate fell backwards in the armchair opposite the desk. Things were getting from bad to worse.


End file.
